Reputation Is Everything. Don’t Risk It.

Max wrote a blog post about his interaction with a brand that reposted his image on Instagram without permission.

Before writing the blog post, Dubler sent the brand a polite message explaining that he charges $25 to repost his images. And, he asked them to pay him as they’d already extracted marketing value out of his work.

Seems fair, right?

They refused.

And in his blog post, Dubler explains that the company, “refused to pay me, insulted me for even thinking that my work is worth money, tried to tell me they were doing me a favor, attempted to play dumb, and finally accused me of extortion.”

The blog post went viral.

Consequently, the business received a swath of negative reviews on their Facebook page.

Then, Dubler updated his article to make the company anonymous — a gracious move that not all frustrated photographers would make.

So take a leaf out of their book: acknowledge and reward your community for submitting great content.

Next up?

2: Create a Contest

Contests are hard to do well. But, if you get it right, the rewards can be huge.

There are two main parts to an effective contest.

First, what do followers need to do to enter? Remember, you want to create a contest that encourages people to get creative.

It needs to be fun, and engaging.

Secondly, what prize is offered to winners? Ideally, prizes should be desirable and relevant to your brand.

Or, if you sell camping products, you could offer a weekend trip kayaking in the mountains. And if you sell makeup, you could offer a spa-day for two.

Or, if you’re on a budget, you could simply offer free products, to begin with.

Starbucks does a fantastic job of using contests to create user-generated content.

Over the last few years, they’ve held multiple ‘Cup Contests,’ like the White Cup Art Contest and the Red Cup Art Contest, in which they asked followers to decorate their coffee cups and submit their entries.

In return, the winner would have their design printed on a limited edition Starbucks reusable plastic cup.

So, did the contests work?

Yep.

The #WhiteCupContest received almost 3,500 entries on Instagram, and the #RedCupArt contest almost 2,500.

That’s a lot of user-generated content that Starbucks can repost on Instagram!

And lastly:

3: Ask People to Share How They Use Your Products

Product reviews can be a bit boring.

And, not all followers will care about them — especially those people who are already familiar with your products.

So instead, ask your community to share photos of themselves using your products.

This is a great way to promote your products, build community, and get your hands on some killer user-generated content.

Using the hashtag #WayfairAtHome, customers can share images of their homes featuring Wayfair products.

But, here’s the really awesome part.

Wayfair then reposts the user-generated content with a link to buy the items featured in the image.

#Genius

This link to the featured items removes friction from the buying process.

And, the reposts don’t just deliver design inspiration, they also do it through a customer testimonial.

Remember, 92 percent of people are more likely to trust a recommendation from another person over branded content.

So, encourage your followers to send in photos of themselves using your products.

Then, simply repost with links to buy the items from your store!

Key Takeaways

Remember, user-generated content is powerful because of two main reasons:

It capitalizes on social proof

It boosts engagement and builds community

To start, pick one of these three ways to create more user-generated content:

Acknowledge and reward content from community members

Create a contest

Ask people to share how they’ve used your products

Then, get reposting!

There are many ways to harness the power of user-generated content.

But, whatever you decide to repost on Instagram, make sure that you get permission first. This quick and simple step will ensure that your brand remains loved, and the lawyers leave you alone.

Do you have any questions about user-generated content, or how to repost on Instagram? Let us know in the comment section below — we read all of them!

Tom Joseph Law

Tom Joseph Law

Tom is a strategic content marketing consultant and writer. His mission? To empower entrepreneurs and help businesses grow through long-form, data-driven content! You can learn more about Tom at tomjlaw.com.

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